Blood and Fire
by Bullethail
Summary: Follow the adventures of a young UNSC Marine... from training, to the fight for humanity in later years.
1. Blood and Fire: Intro

All I knew was the cold… and the gunfire. Shots whizzed overhead, and even pinged off the ground around me. I brought my elbow forward, and dug it into the mud in front of me. "Faster!" my nightmares screamed. I cringed, and did the same with my other elbow. If I stood up, I'd either be cut to ribbons or plainly killed. If I didn't move, I'd be a coward… a failure. I hauled my knee forward, and dug it into the mire. My body screamed at me to stop… yet my mind urged me on. The whistle of a bullet passed overhead. I cringed, and moved my other knee. My fatigues were soaked and soiled… they added to the discomfort by untold amounts. _Forward… forward… keep moving…_ I urged myself. "_Move it_, you maggots!" Silently, I cursed the voice. 

Slowly, I repeated the process, inching forward. The darker side of my mind prodded me to stop. _You'll never make, you know… you're going to fail. Again. _I pushed it down, and crawled forward another inch. My slid my arm forward… and felt solid ground. I opened my eyes. Grass… sky… and my nightmares. "Well, well, well, my little maggot… glad you could join me," the drill sergeant growled mockingly. "It seems you've made it… somehow," he muttered. I hauled myself from the trench, joining the men who made it before me. I stood, and surveyed the Hell behind me. Remote mounted machine guns chattered, spewing fire over the trenches. Strands of barbed wire spanned the pit, caging in the pitiful men within it. Muddy forms writhed and slithered down the trenches, fighting the same battle I had fought only moments before. I wished them a silent prayer. Not all of them would make it.

That night, we gathered in the barracks. Some of us sported bloody bandages, reminders of the dangers of the exercise. Martinez had managed to smuggle a couple cases of beer to celebrate, and we enjoyed them enthusiastically. Tomorrow was Judgment Day, and we wanted what time we had left as comrades to be happy. We belted a drunken song. We were brothers. 

The next morning, I woke from a fitful sleep to the morning roll call. Or rather, I gave up trying to sleep. I had a mild hangover, and didn't relish the day's events coupled with it. I sat up, and grabbed a bottle of aspirins from under my bunk. I popped a couple, and swung out of bed. Around me, the others acted similarly, reeling from the night before. I pulled on my boots.

Roll call was dull, but special somehow. There was nothing particularly special about it… and yet there was. It was my last roll call. Either my very last… or my last as nobody for tomorrow, I could be one of two things. A failure… or a marine. Scott McKinley… UNSC Marine.


	2. BaF: Chapter 1

UNSC Administration Offices

UNSC Administration Offices

Dallas, Texas

September 9th, 2524

The clerk yawned, stretching his arms. It had been a long day, and he didn't get off for another few hours. With a muffled groan, he turned back to the display in front of him. Another recruit approval form. He studied the readout:

Name: McKinley, Scott

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Height: 5', 9''

Weight: 188.6 lb

Physical Health: Satisfactory

Mental Health: Satisfactory

Training: Standard infantry, Reach training facility

Notes: Recruit passed most exercises, exceeding especially in standard rifleman exercises.

Current location: Reach training facility

Awaiting confirmation of approval.

The clerk sighed. Another textbook case. _I _really _need to get a new job… _the clerk thought to himself. He considered failing the recruit for the hell of it. Good way to get that new job. He punched a key, and Scott's fate was decided. He opened the next form. _David Martinez… interesting. _He read the form over, and this man's fate was decided as well.

Reach Training Facility

Most of us took our letters to barracks. Some opened them on the spot. Cheers and groans occasionally broke out. I hurried to my cot, and… hesitated. When I opened this letter, there was no telling where my life would go from here. Did I dare open it? I tore it open. I unfolded the starched letter slowly. One word stood out: approved. I was in. I realized I'd been holding my breath, and let it out in an explosive sigh. Suddenly, a familiar voice groaned. Martinez.


End file.
